A love story to start the day

Wow. I am caught off guard. I called my dad this morning and he told me to go look at some pictures my uncle posted of a spring break trip to the Florida gulf coast. The trip included my uncle, who will be 50 this year, his girlfriend, my grandfather, who is 85, and my grandfather’s 80-year-old girlfriend. I thought I’d be amused by the photos. Instead, I am unexpectedly touched.I can’t even begin to explain why (the reasons are enough for a book, similar to the one I’m writing). I’ll just say that these two men have struggled in love and it’s uplifting to see them find it. It may not last long. My uncle has been married twice already, and my grandfather’s age speaks for itself. But while it’s here, there is hope to go around.

I am at a part of my book where I have to describe a love story between a girl of 14 and a man of 27. I’ve been dreading this because I don’t approve of their relationship. It sets the course for the whole book, though, and it must be told with delicacy and respect. I’m going to find a way to tell it, today, because I can. Perseverance, vulnerability, luck, faith, and hope – they are in my blood.